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Frontline: WikiSecret… Legacy vs Online

I watched an episode of Frontline: WikiSecret that aired May 2001. This episode profiled the case of Bradley Manning and his involvement in Wikileaks.

The online version of the story (http://video.pbs.org/video/1946795242) is able to add much to the legacy form of the story. If a viewer wants to learn more about Manning, it is possible, if the viewer wants to learn more about the interviews done, it is also possible and that is just the beginning.

The homepage for Frontline: WikiSecrets displaying the interactive aspects available.

There is a link to Bradley Mannings Facebook Page to “Go inside the mind of the man accused of the largest intelligence leak in U.S. history”. There are also additional readings and links that allow viewers to dig deeper to into who Manning is and the information that Manning leaked to Wikileaks.

There are also links to other stories on Manning from sources such as the Washington Post, The Telegraph, and The New York Times. There is a links to extended interviews with Julian Assange, the founder and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Daniel Domscheit-berg, a former Wikileak employee, Bradley Mannins father, and Adian Lamo, a former hacker involved in the case. When the story was originally aired, there was a live chat feature with “Wiki Secrets’ Reporters and Brian Manning(the father of Bradley manning). This chat box is still available to be viewed. In this chat, there were tweets, polls and questions asked/answered in real time by viewers; there was also a facebook share option. This maximized viewer participation in the episode and also allowed viewers to understand any confusing aspects of the story and to also create better understanding of Manning & Wikileaks.

Lastly the online version of the story allows viewers to donate in an easier manner, with a simple click of a button.

All of these options allow for a higher viewer participation and understanding about the case, but in an optional manner. This means if people want to learn more they can but the story that airs is at a more simple form for people that may not want to get as technical.